Chasing Waterfalls

Yesterday was my 29th Birthday! Woot! Woot! 

To celebrate my last year of being a youngin', David took the morning off of work and we went for a little hike up at Hanging Rock State Park. 

We picked out a couple of the shorter hikes that lead to waterfalls because we knew that Finley would need some kind of purpose or incentive for all that walking. 

We were all smiles at the beginning of the hike!

We first did a .3 mile hike (one way) labeled 'easy' to the Upper Cascades.

Along the route we stopped off at a 'rock garden'. 

After descending quite the hill we finally made it to the waterfall. Finley was very excited to see the falls and kept talking about how pretty it was.

 We were lucky that it wasn't crowded on the trails or at the falls. 

We only saw a couple of people on each hike. 

After having a quick snack Finley wanted to take his shoes off like the big kids and test the water. He really didn't like the feeling of being barefoot on the rocky/sandy ground. Next time I will remember to bring his water shoes. 

Our second hike was .4 miles (one way) labeled moderate to the Lower Cascades. We had to hop in the car and drive over there since it wasn't off of the same parking lot. This hike actually seemed easier even though it was labeled moderate. The hardest part was the 100 stairs to get down to the waterfall. Coming back up those while carrying Finley wasn't easy! 

Little man didn't do much hiking after the first leg of the first hike, he got to be carried the rest of the time, until he got to the falls when he had all kinds of energy! Hopefully when he is a little older he will do better. 

We parked it on some rocks to enjoy a picnic lunch and take in the scenery. 

It was breathtaking! 

The lower cascades were definitely a lot more impressive!

Then we wadded in the water which was surprisingly so cold! 

On a hot day it was the perfect way to cool off. I wish we had brought our bathing suits! 

There were a few kids 'swimming' at the base of the falls and even sliding down the waterfall and into the water. 

It did not look safe, but it did look fun.

Finley decided to go in with his shoes on this time to protect his feet. We were quite wet when it was time to head back home. We had a blast hiking and exploring Hanging Rock State Park. We can't wait to go back again and enjoy a fun work out and beautiful sights.